Reserve Now, for country camping at its finest!

There is a good reason you sleep as well as you do when you are camping. Sure, much of it is from being outside in the fresh air but there is a fair amount of exercise that just happens naturally around the campground.

It begins with any packing and unpacking you do. You’ll be making multiple trips to the car and back and you’ll be loaded up with boxes, bags, and pool toys. The campfire requires some muscle to carry the wood and get it all set up just right.

You’ll walk just about everywhere. You’ll stroll over to the neighbors’ site for a cup of coffee and a chat. You’ll walk with the kids to the pool. You’ll walk to the camp store for an ice cream treat or a gallon of milk. You and your dog will lap the campground a few times in the morning to get your day off to a good start. You’ll walk to the horseshoe pits to see who is winning and who isn’t. And sometimes you’ll walk just to explore.

Swimming will be a daily activity. It’s so easy to jump in and cool off that you may find yourself swimming more than once a day. You’ll be having fun and exercising too. It’s great for your arms and legs. It’s good for strengthening your breathing, and it makes you happy – a pretty good way to work out.

Your face muscles will get a workout from smiling so much. That long stress crease between your eyebrows will lessen. Your nerves and arteries and neurons will all be experiencing increased activity. Your lungs will get their exercise from laughing and chasing kids in a game of chase around the campsite.

Each night, you will drop into bed for a long, deep sleep. This restores those hard worked muscles and you’ll wake up refreshed and ready to do it again. Camping is a wonderful workout though you’ll be enjoying yourself so much you’ll barely notice.

This is a project you can do with the kids and they love it. It adds to the anticipation of going camping. After an evening or two of making their own fire starters they will look forward to getting to the campground and actually using them to light the campfire. It’s a fun family project that can get everyone involved in the upcoming trip.

Most homemade fire starters will be made in egg cartons or toilet paper rolls. These will serve as the base for your supply. You’ll also need some melted wax. This will provide the base for your fire starters and the wax will seal the materials inside until you need them.

Have the kids help you in collecting the egg cartons and toilet paper rolls for a time before you plan to make the fire starters. They can also help in collecting dryer lint which is the fuel source for your creations. You might want to establish some collection containers for these items and let the kids mark them accordingly. It will be fun to see the little ones remind each other not to throw these items away and take them to the collection area.

You’ll be filling the egg carton cups or toilet paper rolls with a ball of dryer lint. Then fill the rest of the space with your melted wax. Be careful because it is hot. You may want to have the kids just watch with this phase. Be sure that some of the dryer lint sticks out of the hardened wax. This will serve as your wick and will assist you in lighting the fire starter.

You can also waterproof stick matches by dipping them in the wax you’ve prepared. Keep them in a small tin of some kind and then you can strike them over the kindling for your fire.

Most of us love the water and can’t wait to get out on or in the water each summer. We’re sure to put life jackets on the kids but we don’t always think about a flotation device for the dogs. We may have the idea that dogs are natural swimmers but that is not always the case. Some dogs are weak swimmers and others can’t swim at all. We did some digging and found the best life jackets for your dog. We hope it helps everyone enjoy a safe and happy summer of swimming fun.

Kyjen Outward Hound Life Jacket
This jacket is well rated for buoyancy and has a convenient handle that runs along the top. You can use it to pull the dog out of the water or to restrain the dog if they are becoming too excited. It’s a nice, bright color which helps if you’re trying to find them from a long way off.

Ruffwear K-9 Float Coat
This canine life jacket has a sturdy top handle for managing your pet. It is ergonomically designed to be better at keeping your pet’s head out of the water – which is a very good thing. Reviewers are remarking that is it very well made.

Fido Float Dog Life Jacket
This has a full-length zipper instead of clips. This feature makes it easier to put on and remove. It is better for long-legged dogs and looks quite dashing in bright orange or yellow. It’s also designed to prevent twisting and to keep the dog from swimming right out of the jacket. The front and back handles make weight distribution much nicer when lifting your dog in and out of the water.

Hopefully, one of these top rated life jackets for dogs will work for you and your pet. We hope everyone has a safe and happy summer, in and out of the water.

The ability to read real maps is one of the most important skills that children can develop as they grow up. It enhances their ability to appreciate and understand spatial phenomena in a more accurate and complete manner. Additionally, it improves their spatial thinking, which is a critical skill to have in the study of the Earth, geography, and environmental sciences.

However, in a digital world that we live in, more children are growing without learning how to properly read real maps. Instead, they are relying on digital maps for anything map related, therefore, missing on learning a critical skill. Herein we are going to explore how to teach kids to read cartographical maps.

Teach The Basics First: The Words Used

The process of teaching kids to use maps can start at any age. However, for really young kids you probably should start teaching kids how to use real maps by acquainting them with the words used in the use of maps. Start by using basic words such as ‘farther,’ ‘near,’ ‘next,’ and any other simple word. Thereafter, move on to other complex words increasing the complexity with the passage of time.

Teach The Kids How To Use Typical Real Maps

At the age of seven, you can start to teach children how to use typical cartographical maps. At this stage, kids’ abstract thinking start to develop. Thus they can easily understand maps and what is represented on the map.

Use simple maps to introduce kids to the legend and the symbols used in typical maps. With regards to symbols, explain the meaning of typical symbols and how significant they are in accurately depicting spatial feature on maps. Thereafter, introduce kids to the concept of map direction and the use of the compass rose found on maps.

With the passage of time, you can move on to other bigger, detailed, and more complex maps to ensure that they are challenged in as far as learning to use maps is concerned.

Winter is the time to put your RV and camping gear to bed (sadly) and it’s a good time to give your gas grill a good scrub before tucking it away for the season. We found a great video that walks you through the whole process. It basically goes something like this:

You’ll need:
Some kind of ground cover such as a tarp or old newspapers, the manufacturer’s assembly instructions, grill cleaner, aluminum foil, garden hose, a bucket with soap and water, and a scrub brush.

**A good tip that was mentioned is that you can use the camera feature on your mobile phone to take photos of your grill as you dis-assemble it. This will help you when it’s time to re-assemble.

Cover your work area
Unhook the gas and turn off all control knobs and the propane tank
Remove the grids
Disconnect igniter wires and wrap the igniter source in foil
Give it all a good scrub-a-dub-dub
Rinse with water and allow to air dry
Use a pin or wire to unclog the holes in the burner ports
Scrub the burners well
Reattach burners
Scrub cooking grids

Your grill is an essential part of camping and following a good maintenance schedule will extend the life of your grill. You can see the details of really cleaning up your bbq grill in the video below. We look forward to seeing you around the campground next summer so be sure to make your reservation soon.

Backing up your RV is one of the tricky parts of camping. Each campground you visit has a different configuration to navigate. There are some steps to take in backing up that will make it easier for you and increase your chances of success the first time.

Survey the Site– Look the site over to give yourself bearings on where you’d like to park your rig. Make sure nothing is scattered on the grown that could be run over.

Move Slowly– Taking your time is very important. If you find yourself rushing you’ll probably also find yourself making multiple attempts at getting backed in.

Have a Guide– Have someone standing outside within view of your mirror. They can give you hand signals to lead you in. Some people like to use radios for communicating with each other, too.

Keep to the Driver’s Side– That is your best vantage point for using your mirror and getting yourself into your site without problems.

Practice– The more you can practice before actually setting out on your first road trip, the better. Find a parking lot and practice backing in between the lines. The more you do this the more comfortable you will feel in your rig. Each RV has its own nuances and the more familiar you become with your rig the better you will do.

We hope your RVing days are long and happy and we hope that every effort at backing your rig in is a successful one.

Camping is a time for playing outside, no matter your age. We see the elders enjoy time horsing around at the campsite as much as the youngers do. There are some enjoyable outdoor games your family may like to try. They may even like it so much it becomes a family tradition.

Three-Legged Race – Remember how this one used to make you laugh? It still will. It’s as much fun to participate as it is to watch from the sidelines.

Croquet – most of us have played this at one time or another. The best part of it is that even the very small children in your family can have fun tapping the croquet ball around the campsite. The sets are colorful and fun for the whole family.

Tug of War – this will bring out the competitors in every one. Choose teams evenly and watch the fun as each side tries to pull the other across the line.

That’s a few of the games you might like to try with the family next time you’re camping. You can find more at 65 Outdoor Party Games for the Family. We hope you and your family sleep well each night after many hours of outdoor fun together. That’s what camping is all about.

There are so many things to remember when you plan to go camping and the list grows with every person and pet you bring along with you. We want you to have a stress-free vacation so here you’ll find a fun resource for making your own camping checklists.

The kitchen has to be stocked almost as well as your kitchen at home. You can remember to bring enough dishes and silverware but might forget aluminum foil, pot holders, or a cork screw. You can find a handy tool for making up your own list from lots of options already entered at RV Travel Checklist – Kitchen Items.

Pet supplies are necessary, too, and you may not have thought of a few things such as making sure you have a clear photo of your pet along with you. In the event they slip away from you, you an share the photo to everyone who is helping in the search. That list is at RV Travel Checklist – Pet Supplies.

And keeping a sound maintenance and repair list is just as important. There are so many things to remember such as draining your hot water heater every 6 months and checking you engine coolant. Your RV will last much longer for you and your family if you keep up with the small repairs and commit to a regular maintenance schedule. You can make your own printable checklist at RV Travel Checklist – RV Maintenance.

These make-it-yourself, printable lists will help you in smoothing the rough edges and making your camping trip one of pure enjoyment. We look forward to seeing you here at Walnut Grove and hope all your travels are memorable.

Camping is about having fun with the people who matter most in your life. It’s a place you can step away from work concerns, car pools, and household responsibilities. It’s also a place to play and games are a great way to get that party started. We’d like to suggest a few games you can revisit and get the family involved in having some fun.

A Deck of Cards
We loved playing cards as kids and we knew a wide array of games that could be played with that simple deck of 52. You’d be surprised how much fun today’s kids can still enjoy the games of old when you have the time to relax and teach them the rules. Show them how to play War, Go Fish, Crazy Eights, Cribbage, Rummy, and Double Solitaire. They’ll be working their math and strategy skills all the while enjoying a friendly competition with you.

Board Games
The old favorites still rule in this arena so pack up those games and bring them along. Kids will love playing checkers, Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, and Risk. Think of the favorites you played as a kid. They’ll be as much fun for you as they are for the little ones as you munch on some snacks and play board games at the campsite.

Other Ideas
Bring a compass along and teach the kids how to read it. Show them how to tie knots with a simple length of rope. Puzzles are always a good way to spend time together and so are Jax, marbles, and paper airplanes.

Playing as a family doesn’t have to be complicated and doesn’t have to require batteries or an internet connection. You can make your own connection by going back to the basics. We hope to see you playing games with your kids here next year and we look forward to meeting you.

We love it when the campground finally opens for the season after a snowy winter. The best way to get our campers together and see everyone join in on some fun is to have a themed weekend. We have two planned for May 2016.

May 6th, begins our Mother’s Day Weekend Special. It’s our first big weekend and always is a lot of fun. We like to celebrate Moms and this is the perfect weekend for it. We hold a Potluck Supper that will leave you full and very happy. There are some amazing cooks among our campers and getting to taste all the delishes dishes they bring is a huge treat.

There will be a community bonfire which always seems to turn strangers into friends. There is just something about a dark sky, a warm fire, and a bunch of good people that makes for a memorable experience.

Sunday Breakfast is $1.00 off so take advantage of not having to cook. Also, there is a 10% discount on your reservation.

May 27th starts our Memorial Day Weekend activities. This is a big one. There is something happening for everyone and lots of choices for joining in on the fun. We have lots of activities for the kids. When is the last time you went to an ice cream social? This weekend is your chance. We have all kinds of toppings to add to your favorite ice cream delight.

There will be wagon rides and a community bonfire. Join us on Saturday night for a DJ and Karaoke. Of course you can sing – we can’t wait to hear you. You’ll dance off all those extra calories you ate at the potluck and sleep like a baby when the night is over.

If you don’t have reservations yet give us a call. We’d love to see you there.